Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
terms of development by whom and for whom and who it is that ultimately
benefits. Many reports extol the benefits of using tourism as an agent of devel-
opment; however, it is often the economic benefits which receive the most
attention. Chapter 1 examines the reasons why tourism is selected for develop-
ment as well as exploring the changing definition of development. While the
contribution of tourism can be more easily identified in a definition of develop-
ment centring on economic growth, it becomes more complex to identify the
role of tourism in a more holistic definition of development that encompasses
social, cultural, political, environmental and economic aims and processes. If
tourism is used as an agent of development, it is important to consider what
represents under-development and to what extent tourism can address the
characteristics of under-development. Tourism creates wealth but to what
extent does it contribute to the broader concept of development for the indi-
vidual, the community, the region or the nation
?
Having examined the defi-
nition of development in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 examines the changes in
development paradigms, which have occurred since the end of World War II.
While it is acknowledged that the topic is broad and complex and there are
a variety of ways to categorise development, the seven categories presented
and critiqued are modernisation, dependency, economic neoliberalsm, alter-
native development, post-development, human development and global
development. The chapter highlights the fact that development is a highly
contested notion influenced from a wide range of social, political, economic
and environmental perspectives, each with their own set of values. Questions
need to be asked as to what organisation dictates the ideology behind the
strategies of tourism development. Does tourism development under a par-
ticular development paradigm have the potential to contribute more to devel-
opment than any of the other development paradigms outlined in Table 2.2
?
The purpose of Part 1 is to bridge the gap between development studies
and tourism, thereby providing a theoretical underpinning for the remainder
of the topic. If tourism is to be used as means of achieving development, it
needs to be understood in the context of a broader definition of development.
Sustainable tourism development, still prevalent in the tourism literature
(although questioned in Chapters 9 and 15), along with the more recent lit-
erature on pro-poor tourism, focuses on local control and empowerment;
however tourism developed under these concepts may be in conflict with the
goals of profit maximisation.
Part 2
Having examined the fundamental links between development theory
and tourism development, Part 2 of the topic examines specific themes of
development in relation to tourism. Chapter 3 begins by examining the rela-
tionship between tourism and economic development. Economic indicators
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